Field
Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to matting systems that may be used as a modular assembled surface for various operations, such as containment mechanisms for oil and gas drilling operations, temporary roadways, or working surfaces for operations located in environmentally sensitive areas.
Background
Various operations may occur in areas that may be at least somewhat environmentally sensitive, and may utilize matting systems to help protect the ground surface at and around the areas of the operations. For example, oil and gas drilling operations generally involve a drilling rig and associated support equipment that are used to drill and line oil and gas wells. During drilling operations, a significant amount of activity occurs at the drilling site involving many different pieces of drilling equipment and support equipment. In order to reduce environmental impact to the areas adjacent and nearby to drilling sites, sites are commonly lined with liner to help prevent any liquids spilled at the drill site from penetrating the ground or entering a water supply. Additionally, matting may be installed around the drill site to provide a working surface and keep traffic from directly contacting liner material and potentially damaging the liner. Additionally, matting may help reduce impact on the ground area around drill sites from traffic and equipment at the drill site, such as ruts, erosion, excessive soil compaction, etc.
Other types of operations may also benefit from such matting systems, either alone or in combination with containment systems. For example, temporary roads may benefit from such matting systems to provide a reliable roadway surface for vehicles and protect the ground surface from vehicle traffic. In other cases, such as construction at a construction at a site, matting systems may be placed in staging areas and temporary roadways to provide working surfaces and roadways that do not directly contact the ground while also reducing erosion and other damage to the ground.
While helping to reduce environmental impacts, current lining and/or matting may take a significant amount of time and cost to install. Additionally, as liner material is often placed directly on the ground surface, tears and/or punctures may occur, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the liner. Accordingly, it may be desirable to have more efficient and reliable containment and matting systems.